A Brief Summary of the Bandog's History

Long before breeds existed, the first domesticated dogs were canines that serviced people and that earned their keep by helping people secure food and/or protect their territory. Dogs earned the legendary title of "bandogge" only after they displayed exceptional physical abilities and relentless mental determination to apprehend, control, and subdue their opponent. When used correctly, the term "bandog" does not define a breed or cross, but instead defines an individual dog with unique combative skills against man and/or dangerous game when released from their restraint. The actual breed name of our strain of bandog is "American Sentinel." (Review our article on the History of Bandogges for more information.)

The American Sentinel is the Ultimate Bandog.

The American Sentinel training, testing, and breeding program started in 2000, so not only is it the most proven bandog program in existence, but also one of the oldest bandog programs around. To produce healthy, practical, and functional protection dogs, we at American Sentinel K9, LLC strive to maintain the highest standards in the working bandog (bandogge) industry, and with a little research you too will discover we are unsurpassed in this regard.

display mental stability by being safe with their family unit, even in stressful situations;

display the determination, size, athleticism, & power needed to stop an intruder; &

be mobile, clean, & agile enough for regular transport.

Why choose American Sentinel K9, LLC

Why choose a Bandog produced by American Sentinel K9, LLC?

American Sentinel K9, LLC is licensed by the State of Mississippi and has the highest standards in the Bandog industry. H. Lee Robinson, M.S. is the owner and training director at American Sentinel K9, LLC. Before working to improve the quality of working dogs available, Lee pursued accurate information on the various philosophies, theories, and practices as they pertained to animal behavior, anatomy & physiology, husbandry, genetics, and reproduction. Lee's research and personal interests with working animals led him to study bandogs in the early 1990's while obtaining a Bachelor's Degree (1993) and a Master's Degree (1997) in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois.

While pursuing his education, Lee also gained experience in animal behavior, training, and reproduction by working with professionals in the animal industry, including various canine trainers as well as the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's, and became certified in Artificial Insemination. Every dog bred at American Sentinel K9, LLC is performance tested and hip x-ray tested, and we offer one of the best health guarantees in the bandog industry. In addition to the above, Lee has produced and trained hundreds of working bandogs. For these reasons, American Sentinel K9, LLC is able to offer a level of education, experience, and service that other bandog breeders cannot match.

To ensure every generation of American Sentinels is performance tested, the American Sentinel Canine Registry (ASCR-side 1 & Side 2) requires all breeding stock to display the traits required by bandogs before their offspring may be registered. Criminals and wild hogs both have a devastating impact on the lives of honest hard working people, which is why the ASCR remains true to the bandog's history and requires protection training demonstrations or documented legal catch dog hunts as validation of working potential. American Sentinels must display exceptional athleticism, drive, heat tolerance, stamina, determination, and combative abilities.

Protection Bandogs - Our primary goal

Like any dog, owning a sentry dog, guard dog, or protection dog requires responsibility and is not the best option for people that are irresponsible or that do not like animals. That said, there is a reason dogs are the oldest domesticated species on the planet. Simply put, they can be a great asset. Dogs provide not just companionship, they also watch, alarm, protect, hunt, and excel at scent detection.

Without getting into crime statistics, most of us already know that criminal activity occurs far too often, and in a struggling economy crime is a legitimate concern. Here at American Sentinel K9, LLC, we find great pleasure in helping honest law abiding citizens do what they can to maintain their safety and security by providing them with an additional layer of protection for their property, lives, and most loved possessions...their family and children.

Even in today's technological world, crime prevention statistics report that a large confident dog is still one of the best layers of home and personal protection that one can have. A home alarm is great, and we recommend them, but they typically do not actually stop people from coming into your home. Instead, they only notify you that someone is already in your home. It is obviously better to stop criminals from ever getting inside in the first place.

While firearms can also be a valuable asset, they cannot come to you when you need them nor can they wake you up when you are sleeping. Additionally, criminals are generally cowardice individuals that look for easy targets. When a criminal sees a big dog clearly telling them to go somewhere else, criminals tend to quickly honor that request.

In summary, a quality protection dog not only reduces the chance a criminal will come in, but should a criminal come in the dog will let you know when that happens and can come to your aid when needed...that is if one has the right dog for the job.

Hog Catch Bandogs - Our Secondary Goal

Catching dangerous game has remained a large portion of the Bandog's history, yet few bandog programs test their dogs in this venue. For these reasons, we welcome hunters of wild boar to try our dogs as catch dogs in legal hunting applications.

Our "Catch Dog Program" exists for people that can provide proof of their catch dogs being used in legal hunting situations, and allows qualified hog hunters access to quality catch dogs at a discounted price in order to further prove the American Sentinel as the premier bandog program in existence. Before you contact us about this program, there are a few things you should know ahead of time.

The remaining dogs are then screened for our Catch Dog Program (CDP) by evaluating their prey drive, determination, grip, and athleticism. Dogs found to be lacking the necessary traits for catch work are NOT placed into the CDP.

To make sure only healthy working dogs are bred, our working dog guarantee becomes void once a dog has been bred.

Discounts for our Catch Dog Program are available for the applicants that submit videos of prior hunts with hogs being legally caught with catch dogs.

ASCR registration of the dogs in the Catch Dog Program is provided after we receive proof the dogs are successfully catching hogs.

To maintain the required traits of the American Sentinel, each generation of offspring must pass performance evaluations before the next generation of offspring can be registered. You may register American Sentinel puppies with the ASCR only if the offspring were produced from two proven American Sentinels that earned ASCR registration.

What To Look For In A Bandog

Before buying what you believe is a functional bandog, we recommend that you do a bit of research to make sure you do not purchase a poorly bred dog by one of the many fake, yet supposed, "bandog programs" that are unfortunately far too common today. "Bandogs" have become somewhat of a fad in some circles and are often misrepresented, and unfortunately many pretenders have popped up. These individuals some times believe their own nonsense, but more often than not they are knowingly misrepresenting themselves and will lie to sell an unqualified dog to a potential client. That said, do not worry. These fake individuals are easily and quickly recognized for what they really are. A little research now can save you many headaches later. All you need to do is ask for a performance demo of their breeding stock. We understand many of the people interested in protection dogs, sentry dogs, and/or guard dogs are new to the subject and do not really know what to look for, so below we are providing a few tips:

First, if they do not work their dogs, they do not really have bandogs. Do not expect to get a working bandog from untested stock. Like horses, champions are produced from performance tested breeding stock.

Second, if they claim to work their dogs but refuse to provide evidence of such, they are a fake. No professional refuses to provide evidence of their work, and it disgusts us to hear of supposed "bandog" breeders or supposed "protection dogs trainers" say they do not share videos of their dogs doing protection work but then expect you to fork over your hard earned money because you should "trust them." Do not believe hype. Demand proof.

Fourth, protection dogs need to be physically sound in order to be functional. Physical traits should not be grossly exaggerated. Movement should display agility and authority. Avoid "protection dogs" with short muzzles. No quality protection dog has a short muzzle. Short muzzles lack the gripping area required to obtain and maintain a secure grip and are inefficient with heat dissipation. Avoid breeders that advertise measurements of a dog's head or excessively focus on the dog's weight. Neither means anything when it comes to your family's safety. The most capable protection dogs and gladiator hunting dogs always come from tested stock, and are typically in the 80-110 range (males 90-110# & females 80-100#). I personally avoid protection dogs or hunting catch dogs that are less than 70#, but even a quality 70# dog is more than capable. Dogs over 110-120# range that work really well are an exception, and they seldom reproduce themselves. Agility, efficiency, endurance, and heat tolerance tend to suffer when one goes very large. Over-weight dogs and under-weight dogs are simply a product of owner negligence. To verify the physical capabilities of our dogs, notice that many of our dogs have caught too many wild boar to count, some of which have been over 300+ pound (catching dangerous wild game). Wild boar are armed with tusks, and fight much harder than most men ever will. I assure you, a quality and well put together 100# protection dog delivers more than enough power to handle an intruder.

Fifth, protection dogs must have a strong desire to please their family unit and should display strong bonding characteristics; which improves their sense of loyalty and responsibility. Protection dogs should be mentally stable even during stressful situations. Dogs with a high degree of dominance are often preferred by law enforcement or military since such dogs are typically easy to train, but rank driven dogs do not make good candidates around children. Our dogs are bred to be family companion K9 guardians. Our dogs display high prey drive and fight drive with a sufficient amount of defense drive; but tend to be lower in rank drive than the dogs typically used by the police and military. One should always practice good judgement, but simply put, the American Sentinel is typically more tolerant of children than are dogs high in rank drive because American Sentinels are less interested in dominating or challenging their family unit. Review our article on animal behavior for more information about the mind of the working dog.